Manifold form



Patented Jan. 10, 1939 PATENT oFrrc MANIFOLD FORM George L. Fulk, Mentor, Ohio, .assignor, by mesne assignments, to J. Stuart Fleming, Niagara Falls, N; Y.

Application May 18, 1931, Serial No. 538,103

2 Claims.

This invention relates to manifold forms of the type in which a number of record sheets and interposed carbon paper sheets are bound together.

In order to save the time of clerks making out invoices or the like, it is now common practice to make up such manifold forms with sheets of socalled one time carbon paper between the record-sheets which are adapted to be detached and thrown away after the form has been filled out. The handling of the carbon paper in removing the leaves from between the record sheets soils the hands and subsequent handling of the record sheets causes these sheets to be soiled or smeared.

It is particularly difficult in using forms of this character to avoid soiling .of the record sheets by" reason of the fact that the one time carbon paper is necessarily of an inexpensive quality from which the coating readily wipes off onto the fingers.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a manifold form in which the leaves of the carbon paper can be quickly and easily removed without bringing the hands into contact with the carbon paper.

A further object is to provide a manifold form fromwhich all of the carbon leaves may be instantaneously removed by a single movement which simultaneously .detaches the record sheets.

A further object is to provide a manifold form of the character described from which the carbon leaves may be removed without detaching the duplicate record sheets from one another.

A further object is to provide a manifold form in a continuous strip composed of strips of record paper and interposed strips of carbon paper, the individual forms having the sheets of carbon paper so arranged therein that after each maulfold form is filled out and detached from the strip of forms the carbon can be quickly and easily removed without touching the carbon paper with the hands.

, With the above and other objects in view the invention may be said to comprise the manifold form as illustrated in the accompanying drawing, hereinafter described and particularly set forth in the appended claims, together with such variations and modifications thereof as will be apparent to one skilled in the art to which the I invention appertains.

Reference should be had to the accompanying.

drawing forming a part of this specification, in wh ch:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a manifold form embodying the invention, the leaves of the form being broken away alongthe corners to show'the arrangement thereof.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a continuous strip of forms-embodying the invention.

Fig. 3 shows the strip of forms folded into a I said edge.

pack such as commonly used in connection with billing machines.

The present invention relates generally to forms suitable for simultaneously producing a desired number of duplicate written records and is illustrated herein as applied to printed forms for invoicing or the like.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, the manifold form consists of a suitable number of record sheets 5, 6, I usually printed with blank forms. be utilized. Interleaved between the record sheets, are carbon paper sheets 8 which duplicate the record written'on the top or original record sheet on the record sheets below the same, which sheets may be distinguished from the top sheet if desired by making them of difierent colored paper or printing them with different colored ink. It will be understood that any required number of record sheets or strips may be utilized with a suflicient number of interposed carbons to transfer onto each copy record sheet the inscriptions made on the original record sheet 5.

Adjacent one edge thereof each of the recor sheets is partially severed along a line 9 to provide a narrow readily detachable strip l0 along The strips or sheets 8 of carbon paper extend across the weakened lines 9 of the record sheets and between the detachable strips [0 thereof.

It is desirable that the record sheets or strips be held together after the carbon sheets have been removed. For instance, when the record sheets are stacked and subsequently sorted, it is desirable that separation and misplacement of duplicate records be avoided. As shown in Fig. 1, the record and carbon sheets of the manifolding form or assembly are secured together by means of staples ll disposed along one of the assembly edges, preferably the edge thereof disposed at rightangles to the edge having the detachable strips Ill. The staples II are ordinarily positioned closely adjacent to the edges of the assembly and closely adjacent to the edges of the assembly sheets. This arrangement provides for ready detachment of the carbon sheets from the attachments II when a pull is exerted upon said sheets, the carbon sheets being readily torn from their attachments with the staples. Inasmuch as the paper of the record sheets is somewhat heavier than the paper of the carbon sheets, the staples will remain in the record sheets and hold said sheets together after the carbon sheets have been detached and removed.

The edges of the carbon sheets 8 opposite to the longitudinal detachable strip sections In terminate short of the edges of the record sheets thus providing a selective grip formation so that, after the required data have been placed upon the record sheets, the record sheets and carbon sheets As manyrecord sheets as desired may I may be quickly and easily separated by grasping the form with one hand at the detachable sections in and with the other hand, at the selective grip formation at the opposite edge of the form beyond the edges of the carbon sheets, and then pulling the form apart. A pull is thus exerted on the lines 9 of partial severance of the record sheets 5, 6 and I, causing these sheets to separate along the weakened lines 9 from the detachable longitudinal grip strips I0 and causing the carbon sheets 8 to be drawn outwardly with the detachable strips III, which may, if desired, be stapled or otherwise attached to the interposed marginal parts of the carbon sheets. Since the record sheets are gripped selectively at the edge of the form opposite that having the detachable strips l0 beyond the edges of the carbon sheets, the pull is exerted on the record sheets tendin to disengage them from the marginal strips Ill, and since the carbon sheets are'unperforated between the lines of severance of the record sheets the carbon sheets will readily come out with the strips I!) which remain on the carbon sheets and provide a covering which prevents the fingers from coming into contact with the carbon sheets. Since, as above pointed out, the carbon sheets 8 are very lightly attached in the assembly by the staples ll, their attachment is very readily severed when the record and carbon sheets are pulled apart. However, the record sheets 5, 6 and 1 remain attached together by the staples H until such time as it is desired to separate them, where,- upon they may be detached one at a time or in any other convenient manner.

A manifold form such as shown in Fig. 1 may be placed in a typewriter and the required data recorded thereon by means of the typewriter after which the form may be removed from the typewriter and the record sheets separated from the carbon sheets by simply pulling the form apart with a single movement as above described leaving the record sheets in onehand'and the carbon sheets in the other.

The assembled strips of record and carbon paper shown in Fig. 2 may be cut transversely to separate the same into individual detached forms such as the form shown in Fig. 1, or the strips may be perforated along transverse lines l2 between successive form sheets or leaves as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. This manifolding assembly comprises a plurality of superposed record strips each having form sheets ,or leaves 13 longitudinally spaced therealong, each leaf having an appropriate blank form l4. These form leaves 13 are separated by the transverse weakened severance lines l2 which extend through both the record strips and carbon strips so that the forms may be readily detached from the assembly.

Strips of forms such as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 are commonly used in billing machines and each form is detached from the strip after it has been filled out. It will be noted that the long composite assembly of record and transfer strips of .Fig. 2 may be transversely folded along the weakened lines I2 into the form of the zig-zag folded supply pack [5 as shown in Fig. 3. It will be noted also that the manifolding assembly of Fig. 1 is a single set of record and transfer leaves after it has been severed from the continuous assembly of Fig. 2, but with the record and transfer leaves shown as being still attached together.

Each of the manifold forms above described may be quickly torn apart to simultaneously detach the record sheets thereof and separate them from the carbon paper, and it will be apparent also that when desired, individual record sheets may be detached without disturbing the arrangement of the remaining sheets.

It will be apparent that the present invention provides a very simple and convenient form from which the carbon sheets may be instantly removed after the required data has been entered on the record sheets, and that the removal of the carbon sheets is effected without soiling the hands so that the billing or invoicing operation may be carried on continuously and rapidly without danger of smearing or soiling the record sheets.

Furthermore, it is to be understood that the particular form of product-shown and described, and the particular procedure set forth, are presented for purposes of explanation and illustration and that various modifications of said product and procedure can be made without departing from my invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A manifold form including, in combination,

a set of relatively superposed record and carbon sheets in inscription transfer relation with each other, said record sheets having weakened severance lines positioned along one edge portion thereof and forming partially severed relatively superposed strips along one marginal portion of the form, each said carbon sheet having one mar: ginal portion thereof interposed between said partially severed strips of the record sheets and having its opposite edge portion spaced inwardly from the adjacent record sheet edges to provide a selective grip formation, and attaching means attaching said record and carbon sheets together along an edge of the form disposed at an angle to the edge portions at which said partially severed strips and said selective grip formation are positioned, said securing means being positioned closely adjacent to but spaced inwardly from the said angularly disposed edge of the form.

portion thereof interposed between but being free f 61 of direct attachment to said partially severed strips, each said carbon sheet having an edge portion opposite to said interposed-marginal portion thereof spaced inwardly from the adjacent record sheet edges to provide a selective grip formation, and attaching means attaching said record and carbon sheets of each said set to- 'gether along said transverse weakened severance lines, said securing means being positioned closely adjacent to but spaced inwardly of the set from the respective transverse severance lines and from the adjacent sheet edges.

GEORGE L. FULK. 

